Brownell on ‘Vital’ Part of Portal Recruiting

Clemson basketball has had major success in the transfer portal over the last year and it’s not just the work of the coaching staff.

Head coach Brad Brownell has a trio of transfers joining the Tigers this year. Up front, he added Viktor Lakhin and Christian Reeves while guard Jaeden Zackery boosting the backcourt.

During the recruiting process, Brownell relies on his players just as much as his staff and himself on finding the right fit. It’s a symbiotic relationship that proves if Clemson is the right fit.

“Trying to have them involved in the recruiting process of these players so that they have some ownership in it and they feel like they’re a part of the recruitment process of bringing guys on campus who they want to play with. I think that’s vital,” Brownell said at ACC Spring Meetings.

This is a sentiment echoed by Joseph Girard III from his time as a Tiger. He said the players recruited him heavily and he felt at home during the visit.

That’s the type of connection Brownell wants the players to build quickly during visits with elite transfers and the program sells itself in that situation.

“If you’ve got a good core of players back and who are here and have had some success, the new guys come in and just learn this is our culture. This is what they say, this is how we work, these are our standards and they don’t really ask too many questions,” Brownell said.

Thanks to that approach, it makes things easier once players join the program as well. Brownell said that level of ownership solves problems for him because the players truly buy in, whether it be approaches in practice or how “coach doesn’t like that” with basketball specifics.

Clemson has something unique with its culture and it’s why the Elite Eight run was possible. The Tigers reloaded with that emphasis on a player-oriented program and the expectations remain high in 2024.